The Second Mou Yu?

The whistle sounded long, the train slowly moved forward, and the platform scenery slid past the windows on both sides.

Inside the carriage, teacher and student stood facing each other, momentarily silent.

Wan Keshan wanted to argue, but recalling that Li Qingshan had always followed through on his words since enrollment, he held back his retort.

After a moment of silence, he finally spoke.

"Alright, I believe you can do it, but are you really sure about skipping a grade?"

Li Qingshan looked at Wan Keshan's serious expression and, combining it with his earlier words, couldn't help asking in confusion:

"Teacher, is skipping a grade that troublesome?"

"Not troublesome, I just need to fill out a form and submit it." Wan Keshan shook his head and countered:

"But have you thought about it? The Martial Arts Class only has three grades, with no repeating. Once you skip a grade, it means you'll have one less year in the Martial Arts Class."

Li Qingshan finally understood what Wan Keshan was worried about and said without hesitation:

"Teacher, no problem. The remaining time is enough for me to break into the top 100 of the Old Continent and head to the New Continent."

"No problem my ass!" Wan Keshan raised a hand to his forehead, speechless.

"Of course I know you can go to the New Continent, but the New Continent is just the beginning!"

Li Qingshan's heart stirred, recalling a conversation from three months ago, and said softly:

"Is Teacher worried about the 'Final Battle'?"

The "Final Battle" was the Entrance Qualification Battle for the New Continent's Martial Arts University.

"That's right. The gap between different Martial Arts Universities in the New Continent is no small matter." Wan Keshan explained briefly, then glanced at Li Qingshan.

"You should know who the current 'Old Continent Number One' is, right?"

"Mou Yu?" Li Qingshan naturally remembered that name dominating the rankings.

"Mou Yu is a super genius from Tianfu Province. By her second year, she already had the strength to break into the top 50."

"But she's kept her ranking outside the top 100, not heading to the New Continent early."

"If I'm not mistaken..." Wan Keshan paused, then said with a sigh:

"Her goal should be Ziying Academy."

Wan Keshan didn't explain just how strong Ziying Academy was, and Li Qingshan didn't ask either.

Because it wasn't necessary.

The planet beneath their feet was called Ziying Star.

To be named "Ziying" said everything about its existence.

"I originally thought you might become the second Mou Yu, but with one less year after skipping a grade, I'm afraid..."

Wan Keshan looked at his student and finally let out a carefree laugh.

"Forget it. I've said all I need to say. The path is yours to choose!"

"Thank you, Teacher!"

Li Qingshan bowed slightly, offering his sincere thanks.

Wan Keshan didn't know he had cheats, so his concern was only natural.

After all, to outsiders, skipping a grade just for the rewards of a single Rookie Competition was clearly unwise.

But for Li Qingshan, with the Status Panel in place, his rate of progress would only accelerate.

One step ahead, every step ahead.

He simply couldn't wait until normal third-year graduation to head to the New Continent.

In fact, he might even have a shot at the "Final Battle" in June next year.

Becoming the second Mou Yu was naturally impossible.

Because he was Li Qingshan!

The teacher and student finished their conversation and returned to the Martial Arts Class carriage.

The carriage was quiet; everyone was focused, listening to Teacher Li explain the precautions for this Rookie Competition.

"Our Wuyi Province covers a vast area, making it a large region. Besides the provincial capital Wu Yi City, there are 65 other ordinary cities."

"The number of Rookie Competition slots equals the number of Virtual Combat Pods each place has. Each city has 10 slots, and Wu Yi's ten high schools each have 10 slots."

"That totals 750 participants. The specific numbers of first and second years depend on each school's allocation."

"However, they should be similar to our Luoying, with about one-third being first years."

At this point, Teacher Li's gaze swept over Li Qingshan, then landed on Zhong Xian and the others.

"In other words, your opponents number about 500."

With Li Qingshan in the first year, there was no suspense at all.

But even among the Second Year, it was extremely difficult for even Zhong Xian to contend for a ranking.

After hearing Teacher Li's words, everyone's expressions turned heavy.

Even though they had already mentally prepared themselves, hearing such a large number of participants still made their hearts uneasy.

After all, now that they were on the bus, everyone wanted to bring home a good result.

But among these hundreds of people, every single one was no weaker than them, or even stronger.

To fight for a spot in the top ten—how could that be easy.

The group fell silent, and the carriage went completely quiet.

Outside the window, the scenery sped past. Li Qingshan leaned back in his seat, eyes closed.

[Mizong Step 2951/3000 (Great Accomplishment)]

Two hours passed quickly. The train gradually slowed as it pulled into the platform.

"Dear passengers, the train is about to arrive at Wuyi Station. Please prepare your luggage and get off."

With the announcement, the train came to a stop at the platform.

"Grab your weapons, get off!"

Wan Keshan called out and led the group off the train.

No sooner had they stepped off and walked a few steps than Zhao Hongzhou suddenly grabbed Li Qingshan's arm and exclaimed:

"Brother Shan, look, the competition's here."

Li Qingshan paused mid-step and followed his pointing finger.

In the distance, a group of people was getting off another train. Their setup was similar—ten weapon-wielding students following behind two teachers.

"They're probably here for the Rookie Competition too."

Li Qingshan nodded and withdrew his gaze.

"Nothing strange about it."

Yu Lei glanced over as well and explained:

"They're all within the province. Even the farthest is just a few hours by train. The teams from other cities should all be departing today as well."

As she spoke, another competing team got off the train.

Li Qingshan, no longer surprised, swept a casual glance over them and kept walking.

Yu Lei was right. The Martial Arts Classes from sixty-five cities were probably all arriving this morning.

As they neared the exit, more and more identically configured teams appeared.

Outside the exit, a banner was stretched across.

"Welcome to the teachers and students of Martial Arts Classes from all cities to Wu Yi City for the Rookie Competition!"

Beneath the banner, people bustled back and forth, a scene much like the freshman orientation at a university in his past life.

"Teacher Li Xuan, long time no see!"

A thin, lean male teacher approached Li Qingshan's group with a smile on his face.

But after clearly spotting Wan Keshan beside Teacher Li, his smile froze.

"Wan Keshan! What are you doing here?"

"What kind of talk is that?" Wan Keshan frowned, displeased. "Wang Yuzhi, is this how Wu Yi First High School treats its guests?"

"No, no..." Wang Yuzhi quickly waved his hands, forcing a smile.

"It's just that I haven't seen you in Wu Yi for a long time. A bit surprised, that's all."

"Heh, don't worry. This time, you'll have plenty to be surprised about."

Wan Keshan's smile was teasing, and he didn't press further.

Though Wang Yuzhi found it strange that Wan Keshan had suddenly become so easygoing, he didn't dwell on it and instead said:

"You two, follow me back to the school first. The school has already prepared a meeting room to discuss the specifics of this Rookie Competition."

"A meeting?" Teacher Li looked puzzled. There hadn't been such a procedure in previous years.

"A meeting, then!" Wan Keshan didn't care at all, waving his hand grandly.

"Lead the way. Let's see what tricks you're trying to pull."

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